A Christmas Memory
by Dratier
Summary: CH. 2 UP! Serena and Darien were childhood friends, so why is it that Darien hates her so much now? Also, what dark secrets is Darien hiding? Will he be able to put his past to rest before he loses Serena for good? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! I understand that I haven't written in a while, but now I'm back with a new fic just in time for Christmas. I'm planning on completing "An Unexpected Vacation" down the road so please look forward to that. Anyway, let me just insert a standard disclaimer here.

I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. They are all copyright © 1992 Naoko  
Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation. English Language Adaptation © 1995 DiC Entertainment. All rights reserved. Also, please do not plagiarize!!! If you do, and I find out, prepare to feel my infinite wrath

Anyway, please R&R!!! Take care guys, and enjoy!

A Christmas Memory

Chapter 1

It was cold outside, easily below freezing. Yet, children ran and laughed and played without a care in the world. The ground was bathed in a sea of white. It had just snowed the night before; the first snowfall of the year. However, one girl sat alone, slowly sipping her large cup of hot-chocolate. Her long golden-blonde hair formed into two "meatballs" on the top of her head, as two pigtails cascaded down her back.

A chime could be heard, signaling that somebody had just entered the café. The girl turned around to see who it was, but there was nobody there. Whoever it was, he/she must have rushed in. She turned back around and lifted her drink off of the counter before continuing to sip at the hot beverage.

"Surprised to see you here, Meatball Head," said an all-too familiar voice. The girl jumped, almost spilling her hot chocolate all over her. She managed to save it from totally spilling, but some had landed on her delicate hands.

"OUCH!" she shrieked, quickly bringing her hand up to her mouth. "Don't surprise me like that. And for your information buddy, the name's Serena. SE-RE-NA!!! Got it?" She whimpered as she sucked on her finger. The man simply laughed. With a smug grin, he brushed a few strands of his raven-black hair away from his lavender eyes.

Footsteps could be heard racing towards the scene. In a matter of seconds, a tall man with short, dirty-blonde hair was out from the back door and behind the counter. He stood there, gasping for breath, a steel pipe in his hand. He had heard Serena scream, and was prepared to pummel whoever was bothering her. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was.

"Oh, hey Darien," the man said, quickly hiding the pipe behind his back. "When did you get here?" Darien looked away from Serena and up to his friend. The man was dressed in a white, button-down shirt and tan khakis. Over the shirt he was wearing an apron. Darien took a second to wonder why his friend was wearing an apron before shaking the thought out of his mind. He decided that some subjects were better off being left alone.

"Just a minute ago," Darien replied, by habit looking at the watch on his wrist. The man looked over and saw Serena sucking on her index finger, tears in her eyes. Instantly, the man's eyes filled with rage and he once again turned to Darien, who gulped. Andrew shook the anger away and turned back to Serena.

"Are you okay?" the man asked the girl. "What happened to you?" Serena pulled her finger from her mouth and looked up at the man.

"Well, I was just enjoying my hot chocolate, when," she pointed her finger directly at Darien, almost poking him in the eye, "HE comes up to me and nearly gives me a heart attack. He made me spill it." Darien reached up and grabbed Serena's hand, lowering it before it ended up in his cranium.

"Don't listen to a word she says, Andrew," Darien said, turning to face his friend. "I simply greeted her and she had one of her stupidity attacks and spilt it. I had nothing at all to do with this." Serena, who had resumed to sucking her finger, gasped and stood up, pounding the counter with both her hands in the process.

"Liar!" she shouted loud enough for the entire block to hear. "He snuck up on me and tried to scare me." Rage filled her sky-blue eyes as she stared straight at Andrew, as if to ask him to do something about it. Andrew sighed and leaned back against the wall. Almost every day, he had to endure the same thing. Darien would do or say something to make Serena cry, and it would turn into an argument between the two that ultimately concluded with either Serena stomping out of the door, or running away in tears. There was only so much one man could take before he too felt the urge to run away in tears himself.

Andrew always tried to settle the disputes without taking sides. Darien was his best friend, and Serena was, well, Serena. She would never lie to him, right? It would be unfair to both of them if he took a side. However, it was leading to more than a couple stressful experiences. Serena then sat down.

"Well you're lucky I'm in a good day today, mister," Serena said before continuing to sip from her drink. Both Darien and Andrew simply gaped at her in shock. They were both expecting a burst of tears, anger, screaming, and yelling, but it never came. Andrew grabbed Darien from over the counter and dragged him over to the far side of Serena.

"What's wrong with her today?" Andrew asked. Darien simply shrugged. He was as clueless as his friend was. Andrew sat in thought, resting his chin between his index finger and thumb. Darien grabbed a drink from the nearby fridge and was slowly gulping it down, watching Serena from the corner of his eye. He noticed that she was quite cute.

That particular day, she was wearing a light-pink, puffy jacket, with a rabbit face sewn into the back. Matching it were pink mittens. The outfit was completed by a simple pair of blue jeans and brown boots. Darien couldn't help but smile. He began taking another sip from his drink.

"Maybe," Andrew began, lifting his finger as if to make a point. Darien quickly looked away from Serena and up to his friend. "Maybe she got a boyfriend," Andrew said nonchalantly. Darien, who had a mouthful of his drink, spit it out all over the counter. Andrew quickly jumped back to avoid the fire. Serena didn't notice. She was too busy humming to herself, trapped in her own world. Darien coughed and quickly stood up.

"Yeah right," Darien said, almost yelling. "As if 'she' would 'ever' get a boyfriend," he continued, pointing his finger straight to Serena. "That meatball-headed ditz couldn't get a, a," he stopped to think of a word, "a 'frog' to like her, let alone a 'boy!'" He plopped back down to his seat and gulped down the rest of his drink.

"Thanks a lot, Darien," said a tear-choked voice from the far end of the counter. Darien sighed and looked over to her. "You know, I was having a great day today," Serena continued, "and you just 'had' to come in and ruin it, didn't you." Darien suddenly felt a pang of guilt, but quickly shook it off. "Christmas is in three days you know. Can't you at least show some Christmas spirit?" Darien rolled his eyes.

"Bah Humbug," Darien mumbled, grabbing another drink from the fridge. Personally, he'd rather if there were no Christmas. "Christmas Spirit," all the caroling, and all the "togetherness" of the season was enough to make him sick. He popped open his drink and began gulping it down.

"Whatever," Serena continued. "You were a jerk, are a jerk, and are always gonna be a jerk." With that, she ran out of the café, tears streaming down her face. Several seconds later, she ran back in, still crying, gulped down the remainder of her hot chocolate, then ran out again. Darien simply stared at her empty seat in a mixture of awe, confusion, and a touch of humor.

"Yeah, whatever," Darien said aloud, more to himself than to anybody else. He continued sipping at his drink, only at a much slower pace. He once again felt a pang of guilt, but shook it off. It was better not to indulge in the past. What is done is done. That was always his philosophy. He then felt a sudden pain in his arm, as if something hit him. He clutched his arm and quickly looked up at Andrew. "Owe, that hurt," Darien said angrily. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Listen," Andrew said, "you're my friend and you know I respect you. But enough is enough! What has Serena done to deserve your constant harassment?" Darien was silent. Truly, he had no idea himself. For as far back as he could remember, he always teased her. He still remembered when he had first met her.

At the time, he was six years old, so she was five. He remembered it vividly. That day, she had moved into the house next door to him. He was overjoyed when the old owners moved out. He had always thought they were 'old and smelly,' and had often received smacks from his mother when he said so.

Darien looked out the front window at the numerous moving trucks in front of the house. His lavender eyes were wide with awe as he watched the monstrous vehicles drive away. He had always been fascinated by such things as large trucks. While from the eyes of the adult, it was simply a large vehicle, to the eyes of a child, it was a gargantuan, mechanical beast.

After he was sure the trucks were gone, he hopped up and down on the couch in excitement. When he had first heard of the new neighbors moving in, he could've cared less. However, when he heard that they had a child around his age, he was overjoyed. There weren't any children near his age living close to him, so it was very rare that he played with anybody outside of school.

"Mommy, the trucks are gone," Darien yelled as he ran towards his mother's room. "Lesgo, lesgo," he chanted excitedly. Once he entered her room, he saw that she was busy "fixing" herself up in front of the mirror, totally oblivious to all around her. She was a young and beautiful woman in her late twenties. Her long black hair shimmered in the light as it fell gently past her shoulders.

Like her son, she had lavender-blue eyes. It was her eyes that made her husband fall in love with her. At least that's what he always told her. Even after having a child, she had a figure almost every mother, and many women would kill for. Her long legs seemed to go on forever, reaching up to her perfect hips and slim waist. Her face was without a blemish, so much so that she had absolutely no reason to wear makeup. However, she always felt that she had to "look her best."

"Mommy," Darien said again, jumping up and down. "C'mon, c'moooooooooooooon!" She was busy applying mascara and showed no sign of hearing him. Darien stomped in frustration, ready to scream.

"One second," his mother said, just above a mumble. It was obvious that she was only half-paying attention. Darien sighed and pranced around the room, stomping his feet as he went along. He was making it more than obvious that he wanted his mother to hurry up. "Okay, I'm done," announced his mother as she put away her supplies and turned to face her son. Almost the moment after she said that, Darien grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her towards the door.

"Hey, what's the rush?" his mom said with a giggle. Darien just kept heading towards the door. "Okay okay, I understand," his mother said, "but you don't have to pull my arm off." Darien stopped and turned to face her, letting go of her arm. His mother smiled sweetly and kneeled down so that she was face-to-face with him. "Now, do you remember what I told you?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Darien said in annoyance. "You said, 'Now remember, be polite and cer…ca…catrious.'" His mother laughed, making Darien frown. "What's so funny?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips, copying what his mother does when she gets angry.

"You're just sooooo cute," she said, giving him a hug. Darien groaned and attempted to push her away. She giggled and pulled away. "That's 'courteous,'" she corrected him. "Otherwise, you're absolutely right. Now don't be mean and respect our new neighbors." Darien nodded, his eyes showing that he just wanted to get there already. "Okay, let's go then," she said, standing up and taking his hand.

Together, the two walked to the house next door. The house was fairly small compared to theirs. It was a small, white one-story ranch. Wrapping around the front and part of the side, was a beautiful, wooden patio. Going along the patio were thin white pillars that stretched up to the roof of the house. On the ground alongside the house was a small garden of flowers, spanning the entire front length of the house. While the house may have been small, it was definitely beautiful.

When they got to the front steps, they saw that the front door was open, only the glass door remaining closed. Through the door, a couple guys could be seen moving furniture around. While she wasn't positive, Darien's mother guessed they didn't live there, and were simply helping to move the furniture.

"Maybe now's not a good time," his mother said, but Darien wouldn't have that. He quickly walked up to the door, and before his mother could stop him, rang the doorbell. His mother sighed and quickly pulled him away. "Who said you could do that?" she said to him in an angry voice. At that moment, she heard the door open. Quickly, she stood up and regained her composure. After a smack to the back of the head, Darien quickly did the same.

"Hello?" asked a man at the door. He looked to be in his late twenties, possibly early thirties. He was fairly tall and thin. Thick glasses covered his face. Darien's mother got the impression that if he lost the glasses, he would be quite attractive.

"Um, hello," Darien's mother replied. "We're you're neighbors from next door, and we came by to welcome you. I'm sorry my husband couldn't join us. He's out on a business trip right now." Instantly, she cursed herself for spilling all that before even properly introducing herself. "By the way, my name's Paula."

"And my name is Ken," the man replied with a smile, reaching out his hand. Paula gently shook it and smiled in return. Ken then knelt down. "And who are you?" Ken asked.

"I'm Darien," he said with a large grin, holding out his hand, mimicking the adults. Ken and Paula both laughed. Darien frowned, so Ken quickly shook his hand as well. "Pleased to meetcha," Darien said, excessively shaking Ken's hand. Ken laughed and patted Darien on the head before standing up.

"Let me grab Elaine," Ken said. Paula smiled warmly and nodded. Ken walked away from the door. "Honey," Paula heard him call. She laughed to herself, remembering how her husband calls her the same way. She sighed. Though she never showed her feelings to Darien, she always missed her husband when he was out on business. She just wished that he could work somewhere that didn't require him to travel cross-country every month.

A few moments later, Ken returned to the door. Next to him was a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, though Paula knew that was impossible. She had dark, wavy hair that reached down to her lower-back. Her figure rivaled her own. She was wearing a light-blue summer dress and a plain white apron. The only words Paula could think of to describe her were "adorably attractive."

"My, what a surprise," Elaine said with a large smile. "My name is Elaine. I'm sure you've already met my husband Ken. I'm delighted that you came by to visit." Paula smiled and nodded, and Darien followed suite. Coming from the house, Paula could smell the odor of cookies baking in the oven.

'Is she baking already?' Paula thought to herself before quickly shaking it away. If they caught her suddenly dazing off, they would think she's some type of freak. "It's no problem," Paula replied. "I…we were so excited when we heard that we were going to have new neighbors."

"The other ones were old and smelly," Darien chimed in. Paula quickly smacked him on the back of the head, an audible "ouch" being heard. "But they were," Darien continued. Paula smacked him again. "But you said so yourself." That was it! Paula pinched the back of his neck, causing him to freeze. Paula simply laughed out of embarrassment. Fortunately for her, the others thought it was actually quite cute, and they laughed themselves. Paula sighed in relief.

"Oh yeah, we have to introduce you to our little one," Elaine said. She turned her head to look behind her. "Come on, don't be shy," she said. Several moments passed and nothing happened. Darien watched on in excitement. He couldn't wait to meet his new friend. "It's okay," Elaine continued, "just come on out and say hello." Slowly, a small head peaked out from behind her.

It was the head of a little girl. Her beautiful, sky-blue eyes were full of a mixture of fright and wonder as she looked up at Paula, then to Darien. Her golden-blonde hair was pulled up into two ponytails that fell down to her neck. She was wearing a cute, pink shirt, covered with denim overalls, which were covered in rabbit prints. Paula instantly wondered where the girl got her blonde hair from.

"This is my daughter, Serena," Elaine said with a smile. "I'm sorry, but she's a little shy around new people. She never had many friends in our old home, so I'm thrilled that you have a child around her age." Darien just looked on in awe, then disappointment.

"You're a 'girl?'" Darien asked, as if questioning whether it were true or not. Suddenly, he felt all his excitement go down the drain. Gone were his dreams of playing in the dirt, or having fake fights. Gone were his dreams of going on grand adventures. He dropped his head and slowly walked back to his house.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey again! I'm sorry if this chapter is a little uneventful. I promise that next chapter will definitely pick up. Anyway, I'd like to thank all those who gave positive replies to my last chapter. You guys are great, and are without a doubt the force that will keep me going. Anyway, please R&R and enjoy.

A Christmas Memory

Chapter 2

"Darien," said a male voice with a mixture of annoyance and concern. "Darien, snap out of it," the voice said again, now with more concern that annoyance. After a couple of moments, a loud "smack" could be heard. Darien quickly grabbed his cheek and looked angrily up to Andrew.

"What the hell?" Darien asked his friend. Andrew simply sighed in relief and leaned against the wall. "What did you hit me for?" Darien said, rephrasing his previous question. That was twice now he had been hit by Andrew that day.

"Don't get mad at me," Andrew said, holding up his hands in front of his chest. "You were just sitting there, totally dazed out for the past ten minutes." Darien looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he was talking about. Andrew rolled his eyes, "I'm saying you were just there daydreaming. I 'tried' to snap you out of it, but it was no use." He pointed his finger at Darien's face, "You made me have to take drastic measures." Darien simply sat there, absorbing all Andrew had just told him. "So what were you thinking of anyway?" Andrew asked, now stricken by curiosity.

'I can't believe I dazed off again,' Darien cursed himself. Ever since he was a child, he always had a vivid imagination. It wasn't too rare for him to suddenly daze off, especially during school. However, it became far worse after "it" happened. Dazing off was his only release from reality. It was as if it was the only thing that kept him sane. 'Still,' Darien thought to himself, 'why just now for no reason?'

"Hey, you there?" Andrew asked, forcing Darien to once again snap out of his daydreaming. "There you go again," Andrew said with a laugh. Soon however, his smile went away. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked. Darien looked up at him, then back down before standing up.

"I'm sorry," Darien said, "but I'm really not feeling all that great right now." He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money, which he then placed on the counter. "I'll see you later, okay?" Before Andrew had a chance to reply, Darien was already outside. Andrew looked after him, worry obvious in his face.

For as long as he's known Darien, he's always been a quiet person. He often kept his feelings to himself, especially when in involved his past. While Andrew was used to that side of Darien, he had noticed it being worse than usual lately.

'Actually,' Andrew thought, 'it always gets the worse around Christmas.' He thought about it for a couple of minutes before realizing it was no use trying to figure it out. He was Darien's best, and in his opinion, only friend. However, he feels that he knows almost nothing about him. Andrew sighed and leaned back against the wall. He only hoped that Darien was okay.

Darien stepped out of the café, and was instantly met with the brisk winter air. He shivered, hugging his chest for a moment before overcoming the cold and continuing down the sidewalk, towards his apartment. For it being so cold outside, he wasn't dressed very well. He was wearing a plain black, long-sleeve shirt and jeans. It was definitely not the best outfit for the freezing-cold weather.

"Why did I think of that?" Darien asked himself aloud. It wasn't like him to think about the past, ever; especially when the memory involved "her." "I hate the snow," Darien mumbled as he dragged his feet through the white powder. Quickly, he was losing feeling in his feet. "I'm going to get frost bite if I keep going like this," Darien continued. "Damn snow!"

Darien quickened his pace, intent on getting home before he froze to the ground. He was in such a rush to get to his apartment that he didn't notice the patch of ice under his feet until it was too late. In a sudden motion, Darien fell backwards, straight into the snow. White powder thrust into the air, and slowly fell back to the ground, most of it conveniently landing on Darien's face.

He didn't know whether he wanted to scream, or cry, or both. All he knew is that his hatred for snow increased tenfold at that moment, if it were even possible. Slowly, he began to stand up. Once he was on his feet, he felt himself losing his footing once again, and fell again, this time face-down into the snow.

"I hate snow," Darien cried into the snow. Once again, he pushed himself up to his feet, this time taking extra care to keep his footing. His face was beet-red due to the cold snow. After regaining his composure and brushing the remaining snow off his front, he turned around and continued, carefully, towards his apartment.

As Darien continued walking, he heard screaming and laughing coming from the left of him. He turned his head to see the source of the sounds. There were children playing in the snow. It was a boy and a girl, around the ages of six. Darien couldn't help but smile as he watched the boy make a snowball and throw it at the girl, who screamed and countered with a snowball of her own.

"Big brother," Darien heard a small girl say in his head. He remembered how Serena had called him that. After their first meeting, Darien's mother was not very happy with him. She was almost positive that Darien would have somebody to play with once the new neighbors moved to the house next door. Unfortunately for Darien, that neighbor was a girl.

"Give her a chance," Paula begged her son, who sat on the couch, his face resting in his hands. It was obvious he wasn't paying too much attention. "Well whether you like it or not, you're going to be playing with her tonight." That got Darien's attention. He quickly lifted his head from his palms and looked up at her in shock. "You heard me," Paula said. "Your babysitter said she couldn't come today, and the Tsukinos were nice enough to agree to baby sit you tonight."

"Lemme come with you," Darien said, standing up from the couch. "Please," he begged. "I promise I'll be good. Really, I do!" All his attempts however, were in vain. Paula knew that there was no way she was bringing Darien to the ball that night. Also, she wanted Darien to have friends. Even though Darien always said he had many friends, she knew otherwise. Darien needed a "real" friend, and she was hoping Serena could be that friend.

"Listen," Paula said, "you do 'not' want to go there tonight." Darien's eyes however, were still begging. "Trust me," Paula continued. "I'm going to the annual ball for my job. I'm sure you remember the last time I brought you there." Almost instantly, she saw the glow leave Darien's eyes. She knew she finally had him. "That's what I thought," Paula said. "Now go brush your teeth, then go next door." Darien nodded slowly and dragged his feet all the way to the bathroom.

After about ten minutes, Darien was ready. After putting away his toothbrush and toothpaste, he dragged hit feel to his mother's room. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. After a few moments, he knocked again. After waiting a little longer, the door finally opened. Standing at the door was Paula. She was wearing a simple form-fitting black, one-piece dress. The skirt fell down to her ankles, and a slit ran up along the right side, up to her thigh. The front was cut in a "V" shape, showing off just a bit of cleavage.

Instead of using straps, the dress tied behind her neck. The back of the dress was open, showing most of her back. While the dress was simple, she looked gorgeous in it. It was obvious by the look on her face that she was in a rush. It was always like her to wait until the last minute, and then rush in the end.

"Darien," Paula said quickly, "I need you to put this on." She handed him a simple, gold necklace. Hanging on the necklace was a heart-shaped pendant. While it was a simple piece of jewelry, she always wore it. It was the first give she had ever received from her husband, way back when they were still dating in college, and it was her most precious possession.

Paula knelt down, turning her back to Darien. She lifted her hair, giving Darien access to her slim neck. After some fumbling, and a few retries, he had the necklace on. She turned around and kissed Darien on the cheek, making him cringe and quickly wipe his face. Paula simply smiled and stood up, looking at herself in the mirror. After she was finished, she knelt back down in front of Darien.

"Now, remember," Paula said, "be kind to the Tsukinos. Do what they ask and do 'not' be rude, got that?" Darien nodded. "Also, please try to get along with Serena, okay?" Darien rolled his eyes. There was no way he was going to play with that girl. Paula smiled, "Who knows. You guys may get married one day." Suddenly, Darien's face became one of disgust.

"Eww, moooom," Darien groaned, trying to get the thoughts out of his head. He always wondered why boys would ever marry girls. Paula giggled and gave Darien a nudge on the nose, making him laugh.

"Give me a hug," Paula said, not giving him a chance to reply before bringing him into her arms. "I love you," she said. Having enough, Darien finally managed to push her away. She simply smiled and kissed him on the cheek, resulting in him wiping his face once again. "You remember my pager number, right?" Paula asked. Darien simply nodded, having been asked that question literally dozens of times. "Now beep me if 'anything' goes wrong." Darien nodded once again.

"I love you," Paula said once again. "Now get over there. I'll be by to pick you up later." After one last hug, Darien was on his way. He walked slowly out the door and across his yard to the next. He didn't know how he was going to possibly survive the evening. After what seemed like a second, he was at the front door. Darien gulped and walked slowly to the door, and extended his hand, ringing the doorbell.

After waiting for about a minute, a sound of a door unlocking could be heard, and several moments later, the front door was open. Standing at the door was Elaine, still wearing the same outfit from earlier. She looked out through the glass door and didn't see anybody. Finally, she looked down and smiled when she saw Darien.

"Oh Darien," she said with a warm smile. "We've been expecting you. Come on in." She opened up the glass door and held it for him as he walked inside. Though they had only moved in just hours before, the house looked as if they had lived there for a decade. The main room was fairly large. Spot lights hanged from the ceiling, and illuminated the room brilliantly.

The walls were painted a plain white. However, paintings of meadows and fields lined the walls. Two black couches lined two of the walls, connecting end-to-end, forming a right-angle. On the opposite wall stood a lone black chair, a beautiful painting of a field of flowers hanging above it.

On the adjacent wall stood a simple glass table. Placed on the table were several recent portraits of Serena. The wall above the table was lined with several rows of photos, most of them of Serena throughout several stages of her life. In the center of all the photos is what appeared to Darien to be the Tsukino's wedding portrait.

"Dinner should be done soon," Elaine said, knocking Darien out from his thoughts. He looked up at her smiling face. "Come with me," she said. "I'll show you where Serena's room is." Darien swallowed. He knew that eventually he had to come face-to-face with "her." Elaine began walking down a small hallway, beckoning for him to follow. He followed slowly, fearing the impending moment.

Elaine stopped at the end of the hallway, in front of a closed door. A sign hung on the door, a picture of a rabbit on the left and right sides of it. The sign read, "Serena" in pink letters. Elaine knocked a few times before opening the door.

"Look who came to play with you," Elaine said as she opened the door. Sitting on the floor was Serena, wearing the same outfit from earlier that day. She had a doll in each hand, moving them around the floor, mimicking them walking. The first thing Darien noticed was now girlish the room looked.

The bed was neatly-made, a dark-pink comforter covering the bed, a pattern of various bunny faced printed on it. At one end of it was a pile of stuffed animals, all neatly-stacked. On the other end was a large, pink and white pillow, in the shape of a bunny head. The walls were painted a milk-white, a light-blue border along the top of the wall, matching with the light-blue carpet. Darien felt sick to his stomach.

Serena, hearing her mother's voice, looked up. However, as she was looking up, her eyes locked on to Darien. She gasped, leaning back a bit, as if frightened. Darien swallowed, not knowing what to do. He tried to look away, but his eyes kept diverting back to Serena, his lavender eyes locking with her sky-blue eyes. He was mesmerized, unable to move, nor think correctly.

Serena was the same way. She did not understand why, but when she looked into his eyes, warmth spread throughout her entire body, from her head, down to her hands, and to the tips of her toes. She felt her hands trembling, and her breath shortening.

"Well, you two have fun," Elaine said, knocking both the children from their trance. "I'm going to finish dinner, so I'll call you when it's done." With that, she closed the door, leaving the children together in the room, alone. Darien stood in silence in front of the door, not knowing what to say. Never in his life had he felt the way he did at that moment.

"Umm, hi," Darien blurted out. Serena simply looked at him, then down to the floor. Darien's expression softened and he took a single step forward. Once again, Serena shuffled back, trembling. Darien stopped and stepped back. Was she scared of him? Darien knelt down and looked into her face.

"I'm Darien," Darien said with his usual smile. Serena just looked at him, and then back down to the floor. "You're Serena, right?" Darien continued. Still, he received no answer. He looked down at the floor, thinking of what to say to make her talk. He looked back up at her, and caught her staring at him again. Quickly, she looked back down, fumbling with her hands.

"So, whattaya playing?" Darien asked. Serena simply looked towards the dolls lying on the floor. Darien followed her gaze down to the dolls. He grimaced before looking back up to her. Once again, he caught her stare just before she quickly looked down again.

"Are you okay?" Darien asked, wondering if anything was bothering her. She continued staring at the floor, apparently not paying attention. Darien looked back down to the dolls, and after much effort, picked up a stuffed rabbit that was with the bunch. He examined it for a moment. It was a pure white, with sky-blue eyes, just like Serena's. He smiled and looked back up to her. Her hair was put up into two pigtails that fell on either side of her face. Darien laughed at the similarity.

Serena, hearing him laughing, looked up just enough to see him out of the corner of her eyes. Darien soon finished laughing and held out the rabbit to her face. She leaned back a little more and looked up to him. He grinned and pulled the rabbit away.

"You look like a rabbit," Darien said with a laugh. Serena swallowed and looked down. Though Darien wasn't positive, he swore he saw hurt in her eyes for the split second before she looked away. Darien looked worried for a moment. Did he say something to upset her that much? "Hey, you okay?" Darien asked, not expecting an answer.

"They always tease me like that," Serena said, in a quiet, sweet voice. Darien was confused, not understanding what she meant. She looked up to him, her eyes filled with tears. "Everybody calls me that," she said, her voice choking. "All the mean kids call me that." Darien was in shock. He never meant to make fun of her.

"I'm sorry," Darien said. Serena simply looked down. Darien's eyes lit up. "But now you're in a new school, right? The kids here are nice." She still didn't answer him. Darien sat in thought. He didn't understand why, but he didn't want to see her upset. "I'll be your big brother," Darien said. Serena gasped and looked up at him. "That way, nobody'll make fun of you," Darien said proudly.

"Really?" Serena asked, hope in her eyes. Darien smiled and nodded. "Really really?" Serena asked again, as if to make sure she heard him correctly. Darien nodded again, still smiling. "Pinky promise?" she asked, holding out her pinky. Darien looked down at her extended hand, then back up to her face, her eyes gleaming with hope and remnants of old tears. Without hesitation, Darien reached out his pinky, and their fingers interlocked, forming a promise that can never be broken. "Thanks," Serena said, smiling, "…Big Brother."

Right then, Darien felt something cold and hard hit his face, knocking him from his dream state. He cursed and turned his head to the source. He saw the two kids from earlier staring at him, fear covering their young features. Darien's eyes narrowed and both kids muttered apologies before running away. Darien sighed before continuing to his apartment.

"Why am I such a grinch?" Darien asked himself aloud as he walked. The part that scared him the most is he didn't even mean to be half the time. It just so happened to be that way. After a few minutes of walking through the snow, he was in front of his apartment complex. He stepped inside and took the elevator to the top floor, ignoring the security guard on the way in. After what felt like forever, he was on his floor. Slowly, he walked to his room and fumbled with the lock for a second before opening it. He stepped in and closed the door behind him.

His apartment was plain. All there was in the main room was a chair, a small TV, and a bookshelf, filled with several textbooks and a few novels that he had received from people over the years, but never read. He walked through the room and to his bedroom, which was even simpler. All that filled that room was a bed. Stretching, he lied down on the bed, staring at the plain-white ceiling.

It was still early in the day, but he didn't care. If there was one thing he liked about the Christmas season, it was the vacation from school. However, he never had much of anything to do besides sit alone in his apartment. Occasionally he would visit Andrew at his job, but they never did anything together.

"My life's boring," Darien mumbled before closing his eyes. Soon, he felt sleep taking him. If there was one thing he enjoyed from life, it was sleep, for it was the only escape he had from the world he hated so much. Soon enough, he was asleep, lost in the world of silence, darkness, and dreams.

Well that's it for chapter 2. Yeah, I know, it's kind of boring. Anyway, chapter 3 will definitely pick up as we move into their Junior-high years and maybe get a glimpse at an early romance. Also, tragedy strikes Darien in the next chapter, so keep reading. See you soon!


End file.
